“Something very exciting has happened to me. Kruger Cowne, a glabal talent agency are offering one young person the opportunity to go to space (no joke!!) and I’ve somehow been shortlisted to just 30 globally!“

When I found the email with this message in my inbox last week I immediately grabbed the phone to find out more about this crazy programme and how Keren, the lucky sender of this message, made it onto the shortlist for the Rising Star programme, that’s looking for young people around the world leading change in their community.

We first met Keren at our ChangeX Meetup in Stoneybatter and she impressed us with her enthusiasm for driving change in local communities. Keren is the founder of BlueFire, a social enterprise that organises events in Dublin, with the mission of integration through arts and community engagement. Their main annual event is the BlueFire Street Fest, that’s taking place in Smithfield Square on September 19th.

With the help of this programme, Keren doesn’t just get to go to space but would also get a 3 year public relations management contract, 10 speaking slots internationally per year to inspire others and mentorship from the likes of Richard Branson. Keren is the only Irish person shortlisted and is hoping to become one of three finalists who will have the opportunity to attend the One Young World Summit in Bangkok this November.

The 3 lucky finalists will be announced on October 2nd. Until then, Keren needs to show that she can get more people behind her application. Let’s hear more from Keren now about this exciting news.

What made you apply for this crazy programme? Was it your childhood wish to go to space?

Well, I heard about the programme back in 2014 and it was advertised mainly around winning a trip to space. It only caught my attention when I saw it was also connected to a mentorship programme. But now, the more I think about it the more it’s hitting me. Going to space and seeing the world from that incredible perspective must change the way you think and interact with the world.

What do you think convinced Kruger Cowne to choose you as one of the only 30 candidates globally?

To be honest, I’m still very surprised I was selected. It’s very surreal but I’m absolutely honoured. I suppose when I set up BlueFire I had no contacts and no work experience and like many social entrepreneurs, I’ve had to sacrifice a lot to get to where I am. Because of what I’ve come through to get to where I am now, I hope that if I can gain this opportunity, I can really showcase to other people that anything is possible if you believe and work hard to achieve your dreams. I think that’s a key message that I can share, and that could be why Kruger Cowne chose me.

So what excites you most about the opportunity?

What’s very interesting for me about a trip to space in relation to my work in integration is that it is our differences that often divide us. We are not all the same but we are all human and we are all equal. If I can see the world from that unique viewpoint, as one, with each and every one of us a part of this beautiful planet, I want to drive the message home that ownership of a country or whose right it is to live in any country is obsolete when it comes to respecting mankind and people from different cultures.

With the experience of going to space, you have the ambition not just to change the way you think but to make a change in the world, starting with your local community. What topics are most important to you? What would you like to change?

The obvious areas for me are cultural integration and involving and empowering young people aged 16–30. However, other key areas where I’d like to have an impact are the global refugee crisis and the homeless crisis right here in our city.

By seeing the world literally as one, I believe I can open dialogue on the issues of segregation that are at risk of taking hold within our city. This is also relevant to my interest in the Global Refugee Crisis and I believe the experience of going to space can provide the opportunity to ask some pertinent questions such as, whose responsibility is it to look after the refugees desperately seeking our help and how do we want to be remembered in 100 years time.

By once being the early school leaver who “was throwing her life away” to being the youngest person ever to go to space, I can demonstrate to young people that anything is possible. I aim to drive home the message that young people are leaders of today and not just tomorrow.

Also, homelessness is gripping our city and its only getting worse. I’m working with 11 homeless women at the moment to write a book, with each chapter telling the story of one of these inspirational and harrowing lives. If I gain the platform of the Rising Star Programme, one of the things I aim to do is use that platform to support the great organisations in Dublin working on homelessness and shine a new light on the situation.

Talking about integration, the topic that you’ve been working most on, what do you think is the responsibility of local communities? What can people contribute and take into their own hands?

We’ve all heard the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”. Integration is a bit like that, moving from a predominantly one race nation, to one where cultural diversity doesn’t just exist but is embraced is not something we’ll see happen overnight. Integration needs to happen throughout all facets of life – political, work, social and education.

This also means it’s a collective responsibility and one where individuals can make the most difference. If living in a ‘cultural ghetto’ taught me one thing it’s that having no access to work or even food isn’t as damaging as feeling unwanted by others within your geographical community. So what can you do ? Chat to your neighbour from a different culture, invite someone from work out to the pub, and most importantly be aware of your unconscious biases towards other cultures – we all have them (well 94% of 14 million people according to the implicit association test). Only when we know we have biases do we have the opportunity to move past them.

Part of the application – if you are shortlisted as one of the last 3 – will be a keynote in front of a panel of judges including Bob Geldof, Fatima Bhutto and astronaut Ron Garan. Do you already know what you’d talk about?

There’s so many things I’d like to talk about! My colleague asked me why would I want the opportunity to participate in 10 public speaking gigs annually (one of the things I gain as part of the Rising Star Programme) as she thought this would be awful.
My problem is I can’t stop talking – getting to travel the world by public speaking would be a dream come true. I don’t know what I’d speak about at this point if I were to become a finalist, but I know the outcome I want to achieve is to inspire others to go after their dreams, to show that listening to the great compass that is your heart can bring so much happiness and joy, even if it means making some sacrifices.

How can people help you to be the one who’ll board that spaceship in 2018?

I think Kruger Cowne is looking to find someone who inspires, someone who people are interested in listening to. What I say to my friends, family and colleagues when they ask how can they help is if I am someone that you believe will use this opportunity to help others, if you believe that I am the right person who has the capacity to inspire others and use the opportunity to make a difference then share my profile by clicking that link and using the social media share buttons.

What would you like to shout out of a spaceship to be heard all over the world? What’s your message to people in Ireland and beyond?

If I can go from leaving school at 15 to when I started BlueFire having no contacts or real work experience, to now leading a social enterprise that has reached over 13,000 people, you can do anything.

When you go after what’s most important to you, the thing that keeps your pulse going, you find a life you never imagined. It’s damn hard, at times I want to curse what I do, but I’d never trade it for anything. Listen to yourself, that thing that drives you is within each and every one of us. I didn’t know it existed, but when I really listened to myself I found it. So find that thing, because once identified, you’ll have no choice but to go after it and go after it with every part of your being, because if you don’t do it now, you’ll be sitting at 90 wondering about what your storybook could have been.

We think Keren is an inspiring young leader and we hope to support her application with this article. You can support Keren with just a few clicks by sharing this article, sharing her profile video and spreading the word.

If you want to support Keren’s work with BlueFire, they’re also currently doing a fund:it crowdfunding campaign. There’s still one week left to help them hit their target of raising 5,000 Euro for this year’s BlueFire Festival. We’re sure Keren and her team will turn every Euro given into impact worth way more than that.

ChangeX will be at the Festival as well, so we hope to see you there.

Photo credits header image: DonkeyHotey, CC BY 2.0